My Mighty Steed - At the age of 15!

[Famine]

@Famine: The choke was completely in at this point.

Then you probably do have a goosed piston ring in there somewhere. However, with Mk3s, this is normal. Really.

I'm not really looking into improving the performance, after all, me and my dad timed to 0-60 (in the appropriate place), and it came out as 20 odd seconds. I'd love to buy an XR2i or RS Turbo in a few years' time, whenever I can afford it.

On the one hand, that gives you a lot of room to improve on performance. On the other, there really isn't much point, no.

Until then, I'm just trying to improve the looks of this a bit, I know that's not really your thing, but it's a lot better than a full fibreglass bodykit right?

60mm drop won't improve the looks - everyone will just think you're really fat or you have a body in the boot. What it will do is make a reasonably fun-to-drive car no fun at all to drive, and scrub the outside of the rear tyres like crazy.

My memory's not the best, but I recall Mk3s have 165/55R13s on the steelies? Might be worth your while getting hold of some 14s from the Si/S or a Mk4/5 and putting some Toyo Proxes T1-Rs on (T1-Rs have a limited range in 13" and you won't find a tyre that suits without compromise and ballsing up your gearing). You'll improve the looks more than a 60mm drop will, retain the fun to drive nature and half your stopping distance (and trust me, in your first 3 years of driving, you'll be needing some stopping performance).

Everything else you plan you can pull from a scrapyard and Mk3/4/5 parts are largely interchangeable (except suspension). No-one would bat an eyelid at an XR2i boot spoiler or exhaust, or clear indicators (Mk3.5 had these stock, straight swap) or much else. Don't bother with the ICE - I can get into a Mk3 quicker than Evan can (well, he probably could too, but I'd be much more agricultural), writing it off in the process and it's not worth putting more than the car's value of sound equipment in it on view. You can get door 6x9s cheap enough (or a scrapyard) and some PoS headunit from Maplin that will play stuff off a USB for £20.

 

[squishydk]

1-2 years until you can drive, and youre 15 now? o.O Don't you have to be 18

And grats btw

 

[benzoboy]

My memory's not the best, but I recall Mk3s have 165/55R13s on the steelies? Might be worth your while getting hold of some 14s from the Si/S or a Mk4/5 and putting some Toyo Proxes T1-Rs on (T1-Rs have a limited range in 13" and you won't find a tyre that suits without compromise and ballsing up your gearing). You'll improve the looks more than a 60mm drop will, retain the fun to drive nature and half your stopping distance (and trust me, in your first 3 years of driving, you'll be needing some stopping performance).

I dunno if it's the same for all the Mk3s, but my one has 155/60/R13s on there at the moment, I think. I was considering getting some 14" OEM wheels, but to be totally honest the main reason I'm now looking at banded steelies is the price, that said, the idea of OEM wheels isn't out the window, mind you though, I'd be looking into better tyres for either wheel choice. As far as stopping goes, I was considering some Mk4/5 front discs and maybe a rear disc conversion from a higher spec Fiesta.

Everything else you plan you can pull from a scrapyard and Mk3/4/5 parts are largely interchangeable (except suspension). No-one would bat an eyelid at an XR2i boot spoiler or exhaust, or clear indicators (Mk3.5 had these stock, straight swap) or much else. Don't bother with the ICE - I can get into a Mk3 quicker than Evan can (well, he probably could too, but I'd be much more agricultural), writing it off in the process and it's not worth putting more than the car's value of sound equipment in it on view. You can get door 6x9s cheap enough (or a scrapyard) and some PoS headunit from Maplin that will play stuff off a USB for £20.

Yeah, a lot of the modifications will be OEM parts, the XR2i spoiler is what I've got planned, clear indicators I've got on there at the moment. As far as ICE is concerned, speakers would be standard size behind the standard grilles. Headunit would be a face-off one, and the sub would be a fairly small one. That said, I might not get a sub at all, but I'll see in the future.

Thanks a bunch for the advice though, does mean a lot.

Also squishydk, it's currently 17 over here in the UK, but you can get a provisional license a couple of months before that I think. Although I've been told it might go up to 18? And thanks

 

[homeforsummer]

Nice choice on the car 👍 I had a Mk4 for six years as my first car, and it was excellent. However, I'll throw in my two penny pieces on the matter too:

Security: There are two views on this - the first being that it's a bog-basic Fiesta and no self-respecting crim will go near it with a barge pole. This was the case with mine I suspect, though when I owned it I never lived in an area known for joy-riding or anything. You might, so it might be worth investing in some security. This is where the second view comes in - visual prevention is often enough unless someone is pretty determined. I had one of these:

A disklock. Good as a visual deterrent and for actual security. They cost about £50 I think so it's a bit of an investment, but they earn their keep if you live in a dodgy area. Most tests seem to take over a minute of very noisy breaking in to get through them, and while they're on you can't turn the wheel because the whole thing just spins around the steering wheel.

Modding: Personally I wouldn't, as you won't really get any extra enjoyment out of it. I was lucky in that many of my friends were into cars, but none of them were into dressing them up with useless mods so I never felt the need either. Gives you more money for beer (when you're 18, of course...), more money for petrol (not bloody cheap, that stuff) and more money for repairs when you crash it/get crashed into (I'm not saying you will, but you can never be certain).

My Fiesta remained standard, and honestly it was all the better for it. I'm sure that if I had a large budget I could have made it better (proper Ford Racing parts at the time were available to take my 1.3 from 60bhp to 90bhp - good cams and stuff, suspension and so on) but for small beans not a lot is really worth doing. It would never be an XR2 or Zetec S, so there wasn't much point in trying.

If you're wanting to personalise it a bit though, you could do a few, cheap, subtle things. Find some XR2 OEM wheels maybe, get some decent tyres on them (like Famine said), but then bear in mind that with wider tyres your (presumably unassisted) steering will become rather weighty. In general though, I'd recommend spending a bit of tuning it in the traditional, non-modifying sense. Get the oil changed, filters, spark plugs, brakes, shocks, make sure it's all in good nick - then you really can enjoy it, and it'll be safer and more reliable too 👍

 

[Famine]

As far as stopping goes, I was considering some Mk4/5 front discs and maybe a rear disc conversion from a higher spec Fiesta.

Don't bother - not worth it for the outlay. A stock 1.1i can lock its front wheels, so it has more braking force than grip. Unless you're planning on emergency stopping from 108mph to rest, or doing a couple of harsh stops back to back, don't bother.

Of course, once you've got tyres that provide more grip than the car has braking force, you might want to look into it again

 

[benzoboy]

@HFS: Thanks mate, I remember reading about the Mk4 in your car hunting thread, 1.25 right?

Also I must add, it's not QUITE the bottom spec, went L, then LX, my car does have SOME street cred

But yeah, I get what you're saying. But the problem that Famine and Evan are suggesting is that if I upgrade my ICE. The thieves will be going for that, rather than the car itself. So a Disklok doesn't have much effect.

Thanks for the comment on the mods too, I'm gonna be taking good care of it, frequent services etc.. As far as the rest of the modifying goes, I guess it's just a marmite thing, and personally I love it. The car won't be COMPLETELY changed.

@Famine: Good point actually. Just out of interest, what were the Fiestas that owned you like?

 

[homeforsummer]

@HFS: Thanks mate, I remember reading about the Mk4 in your car hunting thread, 1.25 right?

1.3 8v actually. Despite what the press say, it's a better engine unless you spend the whole time absolutely thrashing it. The 1.25 is lovely but auto journalists being auto journalists, they didn't really care that it made less torque than the 8v and at about 1.5k rpm higher, which made it less driveable. Also made it less economical unless you didn't mind driving the zetec car horrifically slowly, which rather misses the point of having the revvier engine in the first place.

The Kent 8v engines are cheaper, more economical and as far as I can work out, more reliable. They'd been building the damn things for a good thirty years before they put one in my car so you'd assume they'd got reliability sorted in that time...

But yeah, I get what you're saying. But the problem that Famine and Evan are suggesting is that if I upgrade my ICE. The thieves will be going for that, rather than the car itself. So a Disklok doesn't have much effect.

True, that. But then if you have a head unit with a removeable face, they don't know what they're looking for.

Thanks for the comment on the mods too, I'm gonna be taking good care of it, frequent services etc.. As far as the rest of the modifying goes, I guess it's just a marmite thing, and personally I love it. The car won't be COMPLETELY changed.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind modifying (I constantly toy with the idea of getting an old Polo or something and doing the typical Vee-Dub mods to it, for example), but I wouldn't recommend it on a first car for numerous reasons, most of which have been covered.

EDIT: Actually, looking at the vid you posted after washing it, the first things I'd get onto doing are blacking the faded black trims all around the car, and giving the wheels a good coating of hammerite or black gloss. It'll immediately make it look a good few years younger, and it'll cost you £5, max.

 

[benzoboy]

True, that. But then if you have a head unit with a removeable face, they don't know what they're looking for.

This is true, I suppose that would be a deterrent. I don't leave things on display in cars anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind modifying (I constantly toy with the idea of getting an old Polo or something and doing the typical Vee-Dub mods to it, for example), but I wouldn't recommend it on a first car for numerous reasons, most of which have been covered.

I presume you mean insurance? I've got that sorted, mainly. Otherwise most of the other modifications may be beneficial (I.e stuff from higher spec Fiestas)

Oh and funny you should mention that, my dad's actually collecting my grandad's bottle of "Back to black" at the moment seeing as his Mk7 Fiesta doesn't have any plastic trim.

I was also considering painting the bumpers matte black?

 

[homeforsummer]

I presume you mean insurance? I've got that sorted, mainly. Otherwise most of the other modifications may be beneficial (I.e stuff from higher spec Fiestas)

Partly insurance, partly the fact that it's theoretically a lot of money being spent on things that won't add any value to the car, that it's theoretically a lot of money being spent on something that statistically you're likely to crash, and partly because you'd struggle to actually make it any more fun than it already is until you start spending big bucks.

It's worth remembering that, as it'll presumably be your only car, you have to live with any mods you make and that some might well drive you mental pretty quickly. Wheels from an XR2 would be okay, but as I mentioned before, they'll make the steering an absolute female dog when you're parking. Lowering could look pretty good as long as you don't overdo it, but get on a bumpy road and it won't be quite as fun when you're bottoming out/ rubbing the tyres/ teeth are falling out every time you run over a pebble (delete as appropriate).

Don't let me discourage you too much - after all, it's your car and your money and it's up to you to do what you enjoy, but think of it as friendly advice. Fiestas are pretty reasonable as standard so I wouldn't fanny about with it too much.

I was also considering painting the bumpers matte black?

I can't see that being too bad, do you mean just the grey plastic trim or the metal below that as well? I'd personally stop short of painting the metal matte black, but no reason why not with the bumpers. Again, cheap plastic bumpers are a blessing on a first car. All city cars should at least have the option of having some fitted as they shrug off bumps about a million times better than the flimsy painted ones most modern cars have (I like the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ for example, but £10k city cars with painted bumpers? That's really smart...)

On the outside I'd stop after doing the bumpers, painting the wheels, getting some clear repeaters and generally keeping it tidy. And I wouldn't touch the interior, which looks very clean indeed.

And I've just noticed, 51k miles? Jeez. That's about what my seven-year-newer Fiesta had on it when I sold it... and I thought that was low mileage.

 

[benzoboy]

I can't see that being too bad, do you mean just the grey plastic trim or the metal below that as well? I'd personally stop short of painting the metal matte black, but no reason why not with the bumpers. Again, cheap plastic bumpers are a blessing on a first car. All city cars should at least have the option of having some fitted as they shrug off bumps about a million times better than the flimsy painted ones most modern cars have (I like the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ for example, but £10k city cars with painted bumpers? That's really smart...)

Yeah, just the plastic parts, I may paint the fake chrome bit Diamond White like the body too? I dunno, it just looks out of place as standard I think. What do you reckon?

And I've just noticed, 51k miles? Jeez. That's about what my seven-year-newer Fiesta had on it when I sold it... and I thought that was low mileage.

Yeah, I got really lucky there, it's nearing on 52k now. It's a damn fine motor though.

Oh and as far as the interior's concerned, I'm not gonna be making any major changes. I'm gonna install a centre console from a higher spec Ghia etc., just to break up the massive gap that's there. Then maybe some OEM seats and steering wheel

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, just the plastic parts, I may paint the fake chrome bit Diamond White like the body too? I dunno, it just looks out of place as standard I think. What do you reckon?

White would work, or perhaps pick a blue the same colour as the Ford badge. Nothing wrong with a bit of subtle colour in there. Indeed, this was something Ford did themselves on the XR2i:

Oh and as far as the interior's concerned, I'm not gonna be making any major changes. I'm gonna install a centre console from a higher spec Ghia etc., just to break up the massive gap that's there. Then maybe some OEM seats and steering wheel

I'd actually keep the wheel and seats standard, if only because they match the rest of the trim (like those of the doors). If you went the whole-hog and fitted a full XR2 or RS1800 interior or something then that'd work, but the trouble then would be it looking out of place unless you got the aforementioned XR2 wheels

Also, damn you for getting me looking at Fiestas again. I'd almost got the Ford thing out of my system I'm in no danger of buying one again but I'd forgotten what cool little cars they were. Anyway, inspiration for the interior, should you need any. Pretty standard XR2i fare:

The exterior of that particular car:

 

[benzoboy]

That's not a bad colour scheme, but I'd rather not paint the bumpers myself. However the blue stripe could look good.

I get what you mean about the interior. The problem I face is that I've got manual windows, and I think all XR2is etc. had electrics. That said, my dad's an electrician so I guess he could help. He says he's done similar things before.

 

[homeforsummer]

I suspect with regard to that is that you could either have the electric mechanism and buttons swapped over if you swapped out the interior, or simply cut some holes in the right place in the doorcards for the manual winders to fit...

I do think though that it's worth preserving your original interior, the more I think about it. There can't be that many left in that good condition now. Originality is quite a trend in some branches of the VW scene, maybe you could do the same for the Ford scene

 

[benzoboy]

Haha, well I suppose that's always an option

Here's to being a pioneer in the Ford scene

 

[G.T]

Having had exerpeince with several of my friend's first/second cars (and helped with a few bits and bobs), these are my words of advice in my opinion:


1. You bought the car for £250. Adding major things like spoilers, splitters, arches etc won't appeal to me in the slightest. Adding this stuff would make it look cheesy considering it's only a 1.1 - and remember the car is only £250 so this stuff may be worth even more than the car. And will hardly add any value when you go to sell it (if ever).

2. Lowering... no, for the same reasons above.

3. However, very subtle things like clear side repeaters would be cool, because they would only cost £1 at a local scrap yard (we got a Golf MK4's one's for free). Maybe even different bulbs for your current lights to make them look different. Paint to touch-up any chips or scratches you have, a good polish, stuff to clean up the bumpers are all stuff that would make the car look better than you think. About the only major thing I would buy is hub caps to put on those tyres - they're cheap and will make the car look a lot better.

4. On the subject of tyres, it's worth investing in good tyres, like Famine mentioned. Cheap crappy tyres are insanely slippery in the wet. Spending just a little more on better ones make a considerable difference.

5. The interior... try and keep that as stock as possible too. Buy steat covers rather than seats (unless they're awful)! They make the seats look much better and would be cheaper than replaceing them. Give it all a very good clean with good recommended products - will make the interior look a lot better. I can understand you want a head unit and some speakers - they'll make a huge difference to sound quality so go ahead (but nothing elaborate). A sub isn't necessary with good speakers but if you have to buy one then no effing huge one. >.>

6. Only add roof racks if you're going to use them. Just for looks... I don't see the point.

7. Watch out for insurance premiums if you do decide to stick with your plans. It will rocket through the roof. All my suggestions above will keep it to a minimum.

8. And better security is a good idea, after what Evan said. And especially so if you do stick a head unit and speakers in your car.


All this may sound harsh but it's for your better good. It's your first car, so... it's likely you're going to crash it in all honesty. You will be absolutely gutted if you've put 2 years work into the car only for it all to be destroyed in a split-second accident. 4/5 of my friends are on their second cars now due to a crash of some kind.

Wait until you get your second (or third, depends on how quickly you mature) car. Then you could open some of the options you mentioned above up. Like I would suggest maybe lowering my friend's £3k Golf slightly, but I wouldn't suggest it for you car. Unless you had already been driving for a long time and wanted to take it up as a project.

Don't get me wrong, I like your car! I just want it to be treated right. Congrats.

 

[benzoboy]

1. If you look at the splitter and spoiler I have planned, they're subtle affairs, the spoiler's from an XR2i...

And the splitter is from a Renault Laguna, a tried and tested mod on many cars:

2. I don't see how lowering makes a car look cheesy in the same way big bodykits do, but it's personal opinion at the end of the day

3. That's the kind of modifications I'm doing, cheap scrapyard finds. Also I personally prefer the look of the bare steelies than the stupid wheel trims it came with.

4. Yeah, I'll probably be getting new tyres when I get new wheels.

5. Don't worry, even if I did get a sub it wouldn't be a huge chavvy one. Also, I probably wouldn't go for seat covers, I've seen them on a few cars and I think they look really cheap and nasty.

6. I probably will end up using roof racks as this car will probably be used a lot for road trips/camping with friends when I can

7. Yeah, I don't think OEM parts add much in the way of insurance premiums, and there's a lot of specialist insurance companies that cater for young drivers with modified cars such as Adrian Flux

8. Security's a given.

Also, regarding the fact I'll probably crash it, that's the beauty of OEM parts, I can salvage a lot of them and sell them on or indeed use them again if I get another Mk3 Fiesta.

Glad you like my car

 

[Jondot]

I presume you mean insurance? I've got that sorted, mainly. Otherwise most of the other modifications may be beneficial (I.e stuff from higher spec Fiestas)

I think it's more a case of 'it's your first car, it'll get ruined'. XR3 wheels are all very nice, but I wouldn't put them on until you've caught enough curbs that you know you're not going to ruin them. Same goes with painted bumpers - I'll give it a month before you misjudge something and they end up scratched on a gate post. Or cracked after you reverse into a concrete post in a multi-storey - it happens. Point is, in 2 years time you're going to be learning in this car, and that's exactly when you want a bit of insurance when it comes to scratching and denting. Leave most of it alone until you actually get to legally drive the thing.

Which brings me onto another point - why are you fitting a new stereo now? Unless you're planning on sitting out there all day listening to your iPod and staring at passers by (a la David Platt), there's really not much point. I'd save your cash and wait - particularly as prices will no doubt have fallen in 2 years' time. And this way you won't end up driving it into a canal, which is always a bonus.

EDIT

RE: Using OEM parts from scrap yards, yes it's wonderful you can replace them for cheapsies, but I doubt there are that many XR3 bumpers floating around these days. Mostly because about 10 years ago, everyone had exactly the same idea as you and they probably all disappeared onto other 1.1 Fiestas. Not to mention that any painted plastic made by Ford cracks just through the act of someone looking at it. In other words, find a Ford bumper and then treasure the hell out of it.

 

[benzoboy]

Yeah, in all honesty I'm not OVERLY fussed if there's dents/scratches over the car. Although I'm not painting the whole bumper, just the little chrome strip. Same reason for the steelies really.

And I don't want to fit one just yet, most of the stuff on the list probably won't end up actually on the car for a LONG time. I just like to plan ahead

Also, RE the XR2i bumper, I only really want the Laguna splitter which can be found easily in the scrapyard/on eBay, and the XR2i spoiler which is easy enough to find

 

[bergauk]

Good lord, keep it stock. Its an econobox. You're 15, if you do anything to this car to enhance its looks, you're begging for it to be broken into. Keep it simple, keep it as stock as possible. To be honest you can probably find something that'll hook up into the back of your current head unit and have an iPod cable coming out. Cheaper and people will not be looking for a little cable coming out.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Legendary]

1-2 years until you can drive, and youre 15 now? o.O Don't you have to be 18

And grats btw

The age is 16 here and until your 17 you have to have an adult in with you.

I cant believe you guys have to worry about it being broken into, over here that hardly ever happens, noone has to worry about that.

 

[nick09]

Well by the sounds of this topic you should just buy a car cover, run the car every few months, and wait till you can drive with an adult when you are 16. By then you should be solid on your ideas on how you want the car to be modded.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I wouldn't bother with exterior mods, because they won't really improve the looks.

 

[ExigeEvan]

TBH honest, if you can justify to yourself that any of these modifications are worth it, then do them.

I have a '99 Nissan Almera and have considered getting an Si bumper, or atleast getting some foglights to fill the gaps in my current bumper. But on a car that I have purely for reliability, practicality and an ounce of fun it's not worth it. The most I'll probably do this summer is paint my steelies black and maybe a red rim on them.

It'll cost me less than a tenner, but atleast an afternoon or two, but that's nothing when you have 4 months off uni.

The age is 16 here and until your 17 you have to have an adult in with you.

I cant believe you guys have to worry about it being broken into, over here that hardly ever happens, noone has to worry about that.

I haven't actually heard of anyone getting broke into recently, but some chavs tried stealing a motorbike off my street which had 2 heavy duty chains on it, and stealing this fiesta would be even easier.

 

[mustangGT90210]

Tint. Gloss Black steelies. Tint heads/tails. Done.

 

[ExigeEvan]

One last thing, that generation of Fiesta is quite easy to roll....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10295414.stm

 

[PureAwesomeness]

Ah, the mk.3 Fiesta - my first real run-about. I did have a mk.1 but I wrote that off within a few months of passing my test! The mk.3 had just about the most forgiving gearbox of any car I've ever driven and really good brakes as I recall. My mate at the time had a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting and nearly sent himself through the windscreen when he drove my Fiesta.

I made a nice parcel shelf for it and installed a pair of 6x9's and that was the extent of my modifications. Whatever you do it, it will still be a Fiesta so think long and hard before parting with hard-earned cash.

Great car to get used to driving with though.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, the gearchange on Fiestas is very, very good. Light and accurate, so perfect for learning to drive with. Ditto the clutch, which is light enough to be no issue whatsoever in traffic. Brakes were good too, certainly good enough to haul up no more than about 900kg of car in the case of my Mk4, probably less for Mk3s.

 

[benzoboy]

Ooh-err at that video!

Small update, today I used some "Black in a flash" on the bumpers and other various plastic bits (Handles etc.), surprised at how well it turned out actually. Looks really good, I'm gonna top it up every couple of days this week, I didn't think to take any decent photos, ah well, I'll get some soon enough.

Me and my dad are down at the scrapyard tomorrow morning hopefully, hoping to find a new rear wiper from a Mk4/5 Fiesta or a Ford Ka, then maybe some clear side repeaters and other bits and bobs I can find from other Fords from the 80s and 90s. Then afterwards we're off to Halfrauds to buy some blue paint...

 

[addictions]

Removed by mod - selling items is not allowed here

 

[eiriksmil]

People crack me up here.. It's your car, if you want to lower it by 60mm (which, at the end of the day, isn't really a lot) go ahead.. In my eyes, wheels and drop makes a car, then you can start doing things..

If it'd been a 'sporty' model from the factory, you want to be able to drive it hard and not compromise by lowering it too much or anything, but it's not.. In fact, I'd say all of you are looking at it the wrong way.. It's not a fast car, it's a 1.1, so it'd be a perfect cruiser slammed on it's ass with a set of wide wheels to fill the arches.

Oh, and my car is lowered probably 8-10cm and has all the practicality of a stock car, looks more or less like a stock car so it never gets pulled over, I can drive it anywhere and at the same time I get looks from the people in the know.. I daily it, so why wouldn't a Fiesta dropped 6cm be able to as well?